Gettin' Made: Burn, Baby Burn... Some Candles!

Are you one of those people that keeps candles around the house without burning them?

Wait, really? You are? What're you saving them for?

Seriously, you're missing out. Today OC Weekly chats with John Sutton of Maddie Kates hand-poured soy candles - rumor is he has over 400 different candle smells at his fingertips. It's like the Pokemon of the candle world; gotta catch em all! I'm pretty sure by the end of this post you'll be burning candles like no one's business just so you have an excuse to find out what the Monkey Farts scent smells like.

A selection of hand-poured soy candles from Maddie Kates

​

After the jump, find out how Maddie Kates candles got started.

OC Weekly: Tell us a little about yourself - what do you do with your days?

Maddie Kates: My name is John Sutton, and I'm a proud stay at home father with a beautiful 20-month old girl named Maddie Kate (yes, that's who the company is named after) and a newborn boy named Andrew. I spend my days taking care of my wife and babies; once I tuck them into bed, I become a candle maker for the rest of the evening.

OCW: How did you get started making candles? Tell us about the progression from making candles for yourself to having a full-fledged candle business. 

MK: My wife loves soy candles, but always had a hard time finding them in stores; when she did find them, the prices never seemed very reasonable. For Christmas last year I decided to buy a soy candle-making kit and make some for her. It turned out great - I was able to make it whatever color I wanted and make the scent as strong as I wanted. My wife loved it. I started making them for my family, friends and neighbors, and they were all big fans as well. Being a stay at home dad, I saw a great opportunity to make some extra money for the family.

A sweet 3-wick bowl candle from Maddie Kates candles

​

Up next, find out why soy candles are so awesome.